Pages

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Movie Review: The Lightning Thief

A look at some of my posts about this movie (mere updates about the movie's progress) show a torrent of comments from young'uns asking for information on auditions and explaining their suitability for a certain role, based on their own affinity with the character and physical resemblance. I thought it was quite touching.

When a favorite book is tapped for movie-dom, it validates the fan's interest in the story and the characters which is why these silver screen offerings are anticipated so eagerly. The one thing fans ask of the director is "don't mess up."

Chris Columbus is NOT a brilliant director but he can get a movie done in workman like fashion. His first two Harry Potter movies were fairly faithful and straight forward tellings of the tale. It took director, Alfonso Cuarón to lift the series and the actors' performances to the next level and in many ways the series has been running on that energy ever since.What Columbus lacks in artistry he makes up in his ability to steer a movie across the finish line while not annoying fans of the books too much. I enjoyed Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief . The actors performed with great earnestness. Special kudos to Brandon T. Jackson as Grover, who was able to shape his lines with just the right tone and flair and humor.

The BEST part though was standing in line for popcorn before the movie and taking measure of the types of people there on a chilly Saturday afternoon. The weekend before, Treebeard and I had gone to see Crazy Heart and I was amused to see the lobby of the theater OVERRUN with teen girls, all streaming in to see Dear John.

This day the boys were there in force. Like that perennial boy-favorite book, Go, Dog. Go!, there were big boys, small boys, skater boys, video game boys, soccer players, football players. Boys wearing glasses, boys wearing caps, tall boys, short boys, young boys and old boys and they were all headed for the same theater I was.

It could have been a Halo or World of Warcraft convention. The theater was sold out and this was a week after the movie had opened.

We had to move up very high to find two seats together.Our seating choice also placed up next to two young men who spent the movie quietly but intensely commenting and the things that were different and the same as the book. I have to say, it made me smile. These two had to be at least, juniors in high school and there they were, having an ongoing sotto voce conversation about a book, comparing and contrasting.

The thing to remember is Chris Columbus is NOT a BRILLIANT director. Some of the dialog is fairly stolid. BUT it is enjoyable! Also, any time, even fleeting, that Sean Bean is on screen is a happy clappy moment for me and Pierce Brosnan, even with a horse's rear-end is AOK.